Russia is sending two warships to the east Mediterranean, according to the Huffington Post.
However, Moscow denied it which meant it was prepping up its naval force there as Western powers prepare for military action against Syria. The Interfax News Agency reported that its source, the armed forces' general staff as saying Russia, Syria's most powerful allay was deploying a missile cruiser from the Black Sea Fleet and a large multi-submarine ship from the Northern Fleet in the next couple of days.
The strengthening of the navy's presence could trigger tension, especially as the United States has already said it is repositioning naval forces in the Mediterranean following an alleged chemical weapons attack which is being blamed on Syrian government forces.
"The well-known situation now in the eastern Mediterranean required us to make some adjustments to the naval force," the source said in a reference to the events in Syria.
It was unclear when exactly the vessels would arrive but reports said the Moskva missile cruiser was currently in the North Atlantic and would set sail in the next few days.
"The naval presence is needed to protect national security interests and is not a threat to any nation. Russia cooperates with NATO navies against piracy and its ships call at Western ports," said President Vladimir Putin.
It was later indicated that a deployment was imminent in the Mediterranean but gave no details except that it would be a part of a long-planned rotation and suggest it would not increase the size of Russian forces there.
"This is not a new group ... but a planned rotation," a highly-placed navy official who was unnamed told state-run RIA news agency.
